High Resolution Biostratigraphic Analysis of Molluscan FaunaAcross the K/T Boundary on Seymour Island, Antarctica

9417776该奖项支持对最近从南极半岛西摩岛收集的化石进行研究。 地球的高纬度地区对全球扰动非常敏感。 对地球这些地区的地质记录进行仔细研究，可以为了解过去的全球气候事件提供重要的见解。 对南半球高纬度地区的化石记录的研究清楚地表明，在白垩纪晚期，但在K/T大灭绝事件之前，生物圈的压力有所增加。 西摩岛上出色的古生物学记录为白垩纪末南半球高纬度地区的事件提供了新的重要见解。 出露于南极西摩岛的白垩纪/第三纪层序在几个方面是独特的。 它的特点似乎是相对快速和几乎连续沉积的中到外大陆架沉积物跨越边界。 与其他K/T边界剖面相比，西摩岛序列包含了从坎帕尼亚期到古新世的丰富且保存完好的宏、微观动物群和植物群，为研究白垩纪末灭绝事件之前、期间和之后海洋底栖动物群的生物变化提供了无与伦比的机会。 它也提供了一个机会，比较动物群的变化，从高纬度的南部与全球晚白垩世生物危机。 其目的是分析1995年初阿根廷-美国联合实地考察期间收集的化石材料，并完成对美国以前赞助的考察和阿根廷-美国以前联合考察期间获得的软体动物区系材料正在进行的分类研究。 在非常成功的美国/去年夏天，阿根廷探险队前往西摩岛，大约3,500磅。为微体化石和地球化学研究收集了大量化石和沉积物样品。 我们来年工作的第一阶段将集中于收集化石材料和准备沉积物样本，这些样本将被送给那些表示有兴趣研究西摩岛材料的科学家。 除了样本工作外，还将在新的USGS地形图上绘制实地观察（地质数据和化石地点）。 我们的数据分析的这一阶段是繁琐和耗时的，预计需要大约12个月。 今年实地考察的初步结果将提交1995年9月在意大利举行的南极地质学和地球物理学专题讨论会。

9417776 This award supports research on recently collected fossils from Seymour Island in the Antarctic Peninsula. The Earth's high latitude regions are very sensitive to global perturbations. A close examination of the geologic record from these regions of the Earth can provide important insight into past global climatic events. Examination of the fossil record from the high southern latitudes clearly indicates increased stresses on the biosphere during the latest Cretaceous, but prior to the K/T mass extinction event. The excellent paleontological record on Seymour Island provides new and important insights into events in the high southern latitudes at the end of the Cretaceous. The Cretaceous/Tertiary sequence exposed on Seymour Island, Antarctica is unique in several respects. It is appears to be characterized by relatively rapid and nearly-continuous deposition of mid- to outer-shelf sediments across the boundary. In contrast to other K/T boundary sections, the Seymour Island sequence contains abundant and well-preserved macro and micro faunas and floras from the Campanian into the Paleocene and provides an unparalleled opportunity to study the biotic changes of marine benthic fauna prior, during, and following the terminal Cretaceous extinction event. It also provides an opportunity to compare the faunal changes from the high southern latitudes with the worldwide Late Cretaceous biotic crisis. The objectives of this are to analyze the fossil material collected during joint Argentine-US field work in early 1995 and to complete the ongoing taxonomic study of the molluscan fauna material obtained during previous U.S. sponsored expeditions and previous joint Argentine-U.S. expeditions. During the highly successful joint U.S./Argentine expedition to Seymour Island this past austral summer, approximately 3,500 lb. of fossils and sediment samples for microfossil and geochemical studies were collected. The initial phase of our work during the comin g year will focus on curating the fossil material and the preparation of sediment samples that will be sent to those scientists that have expressed an interest in working on the material from Seymour Island. In addition to work on the samples, field observations (geologic data and fossil localities) will be plotted on the new USGS topographic maps. This phase of our data analysis is tedious and time consuming and is projected to take approximately 12 months. Initial results from the field season this year will be presented at the Antarctic Symposium on Geology and Geophysics in September 1995 in Italy.